


The Sewers Belch Us Up

by edema_ruh



Series: Delivered from the Blast [12]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Drinking, Fever, Injury, Knives, Robbery, Superheroes, Superpowers, nightclubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 16:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6761389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edema_ruh/pseuds/edema_ruh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Montparnasse is useful, and Grantaire gets one step closer to saving his friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sewers Belch Us Up

When Grantaire finally woke up from his stupor, he found Montparnasse was asleep and Combeferre was nowhere to be seen. He got up from the uncomfortable wooden chair, walking towards the unconscious man and checking him. There was a sheen layer of sweat covering his face and he had a frown on, his usually cherry-colored lips now pale except for the spot where it had been split. Combeferre had sewed it back together and tended to Montparnasse's many other wounds, but when Grantaire took the back of his hand to the man's cheek he nearly drew it back in surprise. Montparnasse was burning up. 

Grantaire let out a frustrated sigh when he heard the sink running on the small bathroom on the back of the room. He knocked on the door softly, waiting for Combeferre to respond but receiving no answer. He knocked two more times, growing louder with his impatience, until Combeferre pulled the door wide open with harshness, staring at Grantaire with a raised eyebrow. 

"Uh... Sorry, did I interrupt something?" Grantaire frowned. 

"No. What did you want?" Combeferre said, sounding impatient. 

"Montparnasse has a fever", Grantaire said, trying to sound like he had a reason to interrupt whatever Combeferre had been doing.  

"I know", Combeferre sighed, lowering his head in exhaustion. "I've already done everything I can for him. We can only wait". 

"Are you ok?" Grantaire asked, finally noticing the dark shadows under Combeferre's eyes. The man spared him a look before walking out of the bathroom, checking on Montparnasse again before sitting on the floor beside the bed. "Ok. Wanna talk about it?", Grantaire asked, mimicking Combeferre and sitting beside him. 

"It's just...", Combeferre covered his face with both hands and rubbed it, dislodging his glasses, before continuing. "Everything got so difficult after we gained these powers. I always knew it wouldn’t be easy, but this? This is a whole new level, just think about it. We are in a parallel universe trying to rescue our friends from a facility that kidnapped them for whatever reason, and then we'll need to go back to our own universe and find a way to defeat our evil doppelgangers before they can destroy everything we know, and all this happened because Enjolras died and Bossuet had to go back in time to prevent this from happening. And then Bossuet turned into an actual wormhole which swallowed our entire house. I mean... it's a lot to take in". 

"I know", Grantaire sighed. He put a hand on Combeferre's shoulder, squeezing it, not knowing what else to say to comfort the man. He didn’t think words could make it any easier, or change the fact that the situation sucked. 

Combeferre stared at his hand, and then stared at his face. His eyes were red from the lack of sleep and there were dark bruises under them. 

"I can't do this if you keep up this drinking, R", Combeferre finally said, looking as serious as Grantaire had ever seen this. "I can't do this alone. I need you more than ever". 

"Combeferre..." Grantaire started, withdrawing his hand. 

"I understand you must be feeling terrible, but drinking wouldn’t be the best solution in any situation, specially not this one. You can't just drink your way out of every problem, R. I'm your friend. You can talk to me whenever you want". 

Grantaire let out a snort at this, shaking his head sarcastically. 

"You can", Combeferre repeated, leaning forward so that he could look Grantaire in the eye. "We may not be as close as you are with Joly and Bossuet, but I care about you and you can trust me. I don’t judge you for any of th-" 

"Point taken", Grantaire interrupted harshly, avoiding Combeferre's gaze. "And thanks for the offer. Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep my annoying drinking habits from getting on your way". 

"Stop this", Combeferre stated, sounding angry. "You can pull this off with Enjolras, but not with me. You know very well that's not what I meant. And if you care about our friends as much as you claim to, then you know that our chances to rescue them are way higher if you're sober". 

"Yeah, I get it", Grantaire muttered. Deep down, he knew Combeferre was right, but his pride was too strong for him to admit it aloud. 

"I need you to promise me", Combeferre insisted. "Promise me that you won't drink until we sort everything out". 

Grantaire bit his lower lip, turning his head to look away from Combeferre. 

"Promise me, Grantaire", Combeferre repeated emphatically. 

"Fine, I promise", Grantaire said, lingering on his tense position for a few more seconds before standing up and locking himself on the dirty bathroom. 

- 

Montparnasse woke up on the following morning, unaware of the fact that he had slept through almost an entire day. 

He was slightly disoriented, somewhat dizzy and terribly hungry. Combeferre, who had fed himself and Grantaire only with old chips he had found on the top of the fridge from fear of getting out of the room and being recognized, explained the situation to Montparnasse and told him about the lack of food. 

"Ah, fuck", Montparnasse muttered, voice raspy, rolling his eyes. "What would you guys do without me, huh?" 

Combeferre sent a knowing look to Grantaire before turning his attention back to Montparnasse. 

"Don't worry about me, folks", Montparnasse waved a hand dismissingly. "Help me out of this bed, and I'll find my way around. Maybe I'll even bring some snacks back to you". 

Combeferre offered a hand to Montparnasse and helped the man out of bed. He was a bit tipsy at first, struggling to find balance on his feet, but with Combeferre's aid, he made his way to the bathroom and came back from it a few minutes later, hair wet and thrown back messily. Despite looking paler than usual and the bruises on his face, he still looked somewhat seductive. He had to lean on the doorframe for a couple seconds before walking to the middle of the room, looking worn. 

"I'm going out", he announced, voice sounding less hoarse than before but not yet back to its usual silky tone. "I'll be back in two hours". 

"Where are you going?" Combeferre asked. Montparnasse eyed him as if he was the strangest thing he had ever seen in his life. 

"To get food", Montparnasse explained, as if Combeferre was a 4-year-old child. "Since, you know, I'm starving. And get some new clothes, the ones we're wearing are all torn and bloodied, they will call too much attention. And some basic supplies we'll need if we're going to stay in this shithole for much longer". 

"And what if you're not back in two hours?" Grantaire inquired. "What are we supposed to do then?" 

Montparnasse smirked at this, throwing back a few strands of black hair that had fallen above his eye. 

"I'll be back, trust me". 

"Yeah, as if", Grantaire scoffed. 

"Don't wait up for me, darlings", Montparnasse said, waving a hand dismissingly. He opened the door slowly as if not to show he was struggling with a simple task, and disappeared behind it in a second. When Combeferre placed his head outside the door to watch the man go, he was already gone. 

"Ok, but really, what if he isn't back in two hours?" Grantaire asked Combeferre after the man locked the door behind Montparnasse and practically threw himself on the bed. 

"Well, I don’t suppose we'll be able to go looking for him", Combeferre responded, looking pensive. "We need to find a cellphone, or a computer. Something that can grant us information without too much effort. It's not safe for us to go around asking questions, we can't be sure to tell apart foe from friend. And if Montparnasse doesn’t return, this will be our best chance of finding out what BL wants with our friends". 

"And how are we supposed to get the phone?" 

Combeferre took a deep breath before  

"If the Amis from this earth are anything like us, my doppelganger must be Enjolras' right hand man, which means I'll be more recognizable than you". 

"Nice", Grantaire sighed, finally following Combeferre and letting himself fall on the bed too. 

"You're the best chance we've got after Montparnasse", Combeferre continued. 

"Always the second option", Grantaire smirked humorlessly, but winked at Combeferre when the man sent him a wary look. "Guess we've got to pray for Montparnasse's safe return, don’t we?" 

"I didn’t take you for a believer", Combeferre chuckled. 

" _Credo_ _quia_ _absurdum_ _est_ ", Grantaire shrugged. 

- 

Montparnasse returned 3 hours later, but it was probably just for the hell of it. 

Combeferre couldn’t help but to raise an eyebrow at the way the crook was looking, and Grantaire's eyes widened. 

Montparnasse had his hair on a short ponytail, only a few strands falling out of it and covering the edge of his dark green eyes. The bruises on his face were mostly gone – Combeferre only noticed it was a well done make up after taking a close look – and his lips were covered in colorful lip balm, returning them the cherry color. He was carrying several shop bags and looked stronger and steadier than he had when he left, which made Combeferre's eyebrow descend from their surprised state to a wary frown. 

"Before you ask", Montparnasse raised a single finger, preventing Combeferre from speaking just as he had opened his mouth. "I took a lot of painkillers and it is possible that I will pass out any moment now, so let me stop you right there. When I do pass out, though, I hope you two will let me take my well deserved nap after all the shit I went through to bring you these", he raised his arms mid air, exposing the bags on them before setting them on the bed.  

Grantaire approached the man meekly and grabbed the closet bag, which contained a box of cereals, several packs of cookies from different brands and a bunch of noodle packs. Another bag had several first aid supplies and more painkillers than a human could take alone. 

"How on earth did you get this?" Combeferre asked, eyes widening as he looked inside one of the other bags. He pulled out a box containing a brand new smartphone, only to pull out two more boxes that looked exactly like the first one. 

"I told you, I know my way around", Montparnasse shrugged, kicking his boots off and laying down on the bed. 

"Are you insane?" Combeferre asked, setting the boxes on the bed a little too harshly. "Did you rob this?" 

"Does it really matter if I did?" Montparnasse answered, not bother to open his eyes. 

"It does matter if this catches the attention of the police!" Combeferre exclaimed angrily. Montparnasse blinked his eyes open, glaring at Combeferre and sitting up straight on the bed. 

"Now you're just insulting me", he said, sounding offended. "I would never catch the attention of the police unless it suited me". 

"How can you be so sure?" Grantaire intervened. "Did someone see you taking these? Were you followed?" 

"Of course I wasn’t followed, what do you take me for?" Montparnasse said, exasperated. "I'm not an amateur. God, you two are worse than preteens". 

"Did anyone see you taking these?" Grantaire repeated, more emphatically. 

"No", Montparnasse rolled his eyes. "But if you don't want them, feel free to return them. I'm keeping mine, though". 

"Did you steal the other things too?" Combeferre asked, pulling a sweatshirt out of one of the bags as if to make a point. 

"No", Montparnasse replied, and Combeferre's shoulders relaxed a little. Grantaire let out a nearly relieved sigh. "I did steal the money I used to buy them, though". 

"Oh, for God's sake", Combeferre muttered, dropping the clothes and taking his glasses off to rub his eyes. 

"Look, you want to rescue your friends, don't you?" Montparnasse scorned. "How do you expect to survive or get information to do so? You're looking all righteous now but you didn't seem to mind about my methods when I told you I could help you. And this is the only way I can help you. You can either accept it and move on with your life, or crucify me and starve to death in this shithole. Either way is fine by me, it's not like I even give a shit anymore. All I care about right now is taking my fucking nap because I'm tired as fuck from stealing life-saving supplies for you two ungrateful pricks". 

Combeferre's lips formed a thin line as he stared at Montparnasse with a disapproving, yet grateful gaze. The crook closed his eyes again, passing an arm above them to block the light, and ignoring the two Amis completely. 

"Thank you", Combeferre finally mumbled, after seconds that felt like hours. 

"Ah, there it is", Montparnasse smirked obnoxiously. "You're welcome, my darling. And before I forget, I have a good new and a bad new for you". 

"What is it?" Grantaire asked, sitting up straight and heart tightening inside his chest. 

"Good news is, I found out where my double will be tomorrow morning, which is a good chance to talk to him and find out whatever it is you need to know to get your friends back", Montparnasse said, eyes still covered by one arm. 

"And the bad news?" Combeferre urged. 

"The bad news is, I can't be the one to meet him". 

"Why not?" Grantaire frowned. 

"He's a big deal around here", Montparnasse said. "Like, a big, big deal. He can't know there's another 'Parnasse in town or he'll want to get rid of me. And, as much as I like you guys, I'm not crazy enough for you to sacrifice myself and die for you. No offense". 

"That sounds like a shit excuse", Grantaire said, crossing his arms. 

"Look, man, you can think whatever you want. The fact is, I'm not meeting him, and you ain't gonna make me. You should be glad I have an address, a time, and your supplies. I even got you new phones and shit. So yeah". 

"But how are we supposed to get information from him, then?" Combeferre inquired. "You're the one who must know him best. The one who has a best shot at getting what we need". 

"From what I've found out, he isn't what I was expecting. If you were surprised that I was able to steal three phones, you should hear about this guy's reputation. I probably look like you when I'm put next to him". 

"How did you even get to know all that anyway?" Grantaire asked. 

"A kid with a funny name. Probably one of my doppelganger's contacts, he recognized my face and came hopping around asking questions about some cargo. From the way he acted, I must be pretty damn influent around here". 

"And why didn’t you ask the kid about BL?" Grantaire said. 

"Because I didn’t want to break the façade?" Montparnasse rolled his eyes. "If I went around asking questions this Gavrache kid could find it suspicious an-" 

"Hold on", Combeferre interrupted. "What did you say?" 

"That if I went around asking questions he could find it suspicious", Montparnasse finally uncovered his face, frowning at Combeferre. 

"No, no, this kid's name", Combeferre explained, gesturing with his hands. "What was his name again?" 

"I don’t know, something weird, Gavache, Gavrache, I didn’t pay much attention to that", Montparnasse shrugged. 

Combeferre and Grantaire shared a wary look. 

"Gavroche?" Grantaire suggested, and Montparnasse's eyes sparkled with recognition. 

"Yeah, that was the name", Montparnasse nodded. "Gavroche. He was a street boy, a slumdog. Probably makes a few works for my double in exchange for a couple coins. You know him?" 

Combeferre let out a shaky breath, lowering his head and placing both hands on his hips. 

"We do", he told Montparnasse. "He is... The Gavroche from our dimension, he is our friend". 

Montparnasse let out a scoff, smirking. 

"Didn’t know you recruited them so early", he said, placing his arm above his eyes again and settling himself against the ragged pillow. 

"We should talk to Gavroche before we reach for his doppelganger", Grantaire told Combeferre, ignoring the way the man was glaring at Montparnasse. "If he's right and this Earth's Montparnasse is dangerous, we shouldn’t get involved with him". 

"You're right", Combeferre complied, nodding at Grantaire without looking him in the eye. "Where can we find Gavroche?" He asked Montparnasse. 

"Well, he'll probably be around the Devil's Den tonight", Montparnasse muttered, sounding annoyed. "That's where Monty boy will be, at least. He'll probably be near that area". 

"The Devil's Den?" Combeferre frowned. 

"That's a nightclub", Grantaire explained, looking between Montparnasse and Combeferre. "I mean, at least in our world it's a nightclub". 

"It's a nightclub on this one, too", Montparnasse smirked. "At least that hasn’t changed". 

"Well, if in our world I wouldn’t recommend you to go there, I suppose I should _vehemently_ recommend you not to go to this one's Devil's Den", Grantaire shrugged, looking at Combeferre. "Besides, like we had said, it's safer for me to go than you. I'm probably less recognizable". 

"Are you sure about this?" Combeferre frowned. "This doesn’t sound like a safe place". 

Grantaire let out a loud laugh at this, throwing his head back. 

"It's not like I inhabit safe places, is it now Ferre?" He jested. "Don't worry, I've frequented worse places than DD. Besides, I'm closer to Gavroche than you are, so chances are I can deal with his doppelganger better than you". 

Combeferre gestured silently towards the farther corner of the room, and the pair walked over to it, away from Montparnasse, whose breathing had apparently evened out. 

"You'll need to be very careful", Combeferre whispered. "Don't use your powers in front of anyone, and do not approach Montparnasse's doppelganger. Find Gavroche, take him somewhere discreet, ask him what we need to know and come back safely". 

Grantaire bit his lower lip, pensive. 

"You didn’t know Gavroche before Éponine took his and Azelma's guard", Grantaire whispered back. 

"What do you mean?" Combeferre frowned. 

"I mean I did. And if he is a street boy as Montparnasse said, he probably won't go around telling  secret information to someone who he just met just because we asked nicely". 

"What do you propose, then?" Combeferre asked, wary. 

"Well... I think I may have a plan", Grantaire whispered, finally meeting Combeferre's eyes. "But I don’t think you'll like it". 

- 

The constant, deafening beat of the techno music on the Devil's Den only made Grantaire's growing headache worse, but he put the discomfort aside and focused on finding all possible mops of blond curls that looked like Gavroche's. The club was flooded with people – probably more people than safety allowed -, everyone dancing and drinking and vibrating around Grantaire. He clenched his hands into fists. So many vibrations, so many... he couldn’t concentrate like that, not anymore. It was as if someone had scrubbed all his five senses raw, he was too sensible to the constant thuds the song's beat was sending to the ground, to all the atoms pulsating around him, to the heat and the movement and the breathing and the heartbeats and the sound and the smell and the alcohol and- 

"Hey man, you okay?" Montparnasse frowned at him, catching Grantaire's attention. 

It was probably not the best of ideas to bring Montparnasse along with him, because 1: There was a chance his doppelganger/someone who knew his doppelganger would see him and 2: to prevent that from happening Montparnasse was wearing a scarf over his face and a not very subtle topcoat, which was calling more attention than repelling it. But at least Montparnasse had a vague idea of where Gavroche could be. 

"I'm fine", Grantaire muttered, walking through the dancing crowd around him. "Let's find Gavroche and go to a  quieter place". 

"I thought you had been to a nightclub before", Montparnasse mocked, and though Grantaire couldn’t see his smirk due to the scarf covering it, he saw the sparkle on the man's eyes. 

"I have", Grantaire rolled his eyes, pretending he wasn’t offended. "But not after I gained these powers. I can control vibrations, and having _everyone_ and _everything_ vibrating so much around me makes it hard to concentrate on anything else". 

Montparnasse looked straight forward, heading to the bar. 

"Hey, what are you doing?" Grantaire asked, following the man close and grabbing him by the forearm. "As much as I hate what I'm about to say, we didn’t come here to have fun". 

" _You_ didn’t come here to have fun", Montparnasse corrected him, placing a single finger against Grantaire's chest as if to make a point. "I came here to help you find the boy, then I can do whatever the fuck I feel like doing. And, by the way, blondie just went through the backdoor, so I'm taking the rest of the night off". 

Grantaire turned around quickly enough to spot a boy, just a bit smaller than he was, going though the backdoor of the nightclub. He looked back at Montparnasse, who was, somehow, already sipping a martini. The crook raised his glass mockingly and turned himself around – albeit with some difficulty due to his remaining injuries – to sit straight on the barstool. 

"I will meet you back here", Grantaire said, leaning closer to Montparnasse's ear so that he could hear him clearly over the loud music. "If I'm not back in an hour, call Combeferre". 

"Okie dokie", Montparnasse mumbled, dismissing Grantaire with the wave of a hand. 

"Don’t let anyone see your face, we don’t want any more trouble", Grantaire said, pulling the scarf hanging off Montparnasse's neck back up to his nose. He grabbed the glass from the man's hand and downed it all in one large gulp, not lingering to hear the man cursing at him. He walked over to the backdoor, carefully looking around to see if he was being followed, and exited the nightclub. 

Only the faint echo of the loud song remained outside, which was a relief to both Grantaire's ears and his senses. He enjoyed the peace for a few seconds before remembering what he was supposed to do, and upon doing so, he looked around trying to spot Gavroche. There was nobody on the dark alley except for himself, and he let out a frustrated sigh. 

Not wanting to waste any more time, Grantaire tried to ignore the building full of vibrations behind him and tried to sense any possible presence near him, looking for cells and heartbeats and bloodstreams, anything that could help him detect a human. There were two people walking down the street outside the alley, and another one walking it up fast, putting as much distance between the nightclub and themselves as possible. Grantaire was pretty sure he knew which of the people on the street were Gavroche. 

He pulled his jacket up and exited the alley, using his vibration-radar to track Gavroche from a safe distance. The young man doubled a corner, crossed a street and entered an alley, and suddenly all possible vibrations he had been emitting disappeared completely. Grantaire frowned, confused. That had never happened before. It was nearly as if he had been... 

Killed? 

Grantaire broke into a run towards the alley, heart beating madly inside his chest. He knew this Gavroche wasn’t his Gavroche, but still, he couldn’t help but to subconsciously care for the boy. Besides, he was Grantaire's current best chance at finding Enjolras and his friends. 

Upon arriving at the alley, Grantaire found it completely empty except for a few trash cans and an abandoned old car parked in the corner. Grantaire looked inside the car and looked around, but found no signs of Gavroche. That couldn’t be. 

Grantaire walked out of the alley and looked around the street, but there was no one to be seen. He walked back in, confused, and was about to pull his phone off to call Montparnasse when he noticed a sewer cover on the floor. 

The cover was so dirty and dusty that I practically blended with the floor, nearly going unnoticed by Grantaire. He tried to sense any vibrations from beneath the cover, but found none. 

Standing up, Grantaire sent a shockwave towards the sewer cover and lifted it enough so that he could through it, letting if fall heavily behind him after he had climbed down the hole and entered the sewer tunnel. He resumed going down the rusty stairs and hopped off them, the sound of his boots connecting with the floor echoing loudly across the sewer walls. He looked around, ignoring the stench of the water and the coldness of the place, but there were still no signs of Gavroche anywhere. 

Grantaire was slowly walking across the tunnel when suddenly a cold blade connected with his throat and a hand covered his mouth. 

How did he not _sense_ that? 

"I knew it wouldn’t be long until Enjolras sent one his henchmen after me", Gavroche said, scoffing. "But I never thought he would send _you_ , of all people". 

Grantaire tried to speak, but Gavroche's strong grip against his mouth muffled his words. 

"You try one thing and I cut your throat", Gavroche whispered in his ear, menacingly. "You may be strong but I'm quick. I'll cut you before you can take me down". 

Grantaire raised both hands midair, trying to show he meant no harm, but Gavroche was having none of it. He pulled Grantaire back, making him stumble on his feet and lose balance, the only thing sustaining him in his uncomfortable position being Gavroche's hand on his mouth and the blade pressing threatingly against his neck, already beginning to draw blood. 

"You tell Enjolras he'll only get his payment when he stops killing my boys off", Gavroche told Grantaire angrily. "Gee, they all pissed their pants when you showed up at the Devil's Den, but now I can see the rumors about you are only _rumors_ , after all". 

A bunch of figures started to emerge from the shadows of the sewers, slowly approaching Gavroche and Grantaire. When their faces were finally illuminated enough for Grantaire to see them properly, he noticed they were all young men, some young enough to be called children, and none older than Gavroche. They had wary yet angry looks on their faces, as they meekly approached the pair until they were forming a circle around them. They all held different types of weapons, some holding knives, others holding guns and a young boy holding a screwdriver. 

"I think we should teach you a lesson before we let you go", Gavroche whispered on Grantaire's ears, and he could feel the boy smirking behind him. "It may be unwise to maul Enjolras' favorite pet, but you've killed enough of my boys and we're already under his death sentence anyway. I deserve a little payback". 

Gavroche let go of Grantaire's mouth and retrieved the knife, kicking him on the ribs and sending the cynic falling face first on the ground.   

"I'm really disappointed, you know?" Gavroche announced, and Grantaire could feel his "boys" closing the circle around him as he got to his knees and sat on the floor. "We all thought that whenever the fearful _Deathquake_ showed up on our little sewer base, we'd all be dead for good. But look at you!" 

"Gavroche, listen", Grantaire interrupted him, finally getting to his feet and raising both hands again. "I'm not who you think I am". 

"I don’t know how you killed so many of mine, but I'll make sure you don’t kill anyone else", Gavroche basically growled, showing white teeth in anger. His boys were closing up around Grantaire, ready to attack him. 

"For fucks sake, can you just listen to me for a moment?" Grantaire said, impatient. "I'm not who you think I am, just look at my face! Where has the scar gone, huh?" 

Gavroche seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, but he raised his chin defiantly. 

"Mind tricks", he muttered with scorn. One of the boys closest to Grantaire pulled out his knife, growling like a feral beast. 

"It's not a mind trick, I need your help", Grantaire said, rushed. "I'm not who you think, if you would just listen-" 

The boy with the knife jumped towards Grantaire, screaming, but he was so small and thin that Grantaire managed to dodge in time before he could stab him. The boy quickly got to his feet, holding the knife and cornering Grantaire, who sent a shockwave strong enough to knock the knife out of his hand but not enough to hurt him.  

"If I wanted you dead, you would be", Grantaire said. "I just want to talk to you, come to a deal". 

"I have no deal to make with you", Gavroche scorned. 

"Not even if it gives you superpowers?" Grantaire retorted. Gavroche hesitated at this, looking at Grantaire with wariness. 

"I have no reason to believe you", Gavroche finally said after a few pensive seconds. 

"You're right, you don't", Grantaire said, slowly and clearly shoving his hand down his pocket and pulling out his phone. "But I've already talked this through with Montparnasse, and he's with me on this". 

Gavroche finally lowered his knife, putting it away. The other boys, however, did not mimick the action, staying alert and staring at Grantaire with pure hatred. 

"Montparnasse would never make another deal with you", Gavroche spat, hesitation in his eyes. 

"I can prove it", Grantaire reassured, dialing his Montparnasse's number. 

"Hello?" Montparnasse's slurred voice greeted, and Grantaire mentally cursed the man. 

"Hey, Montparnasse. I'm here with your boy, Gavroche", Grantaire said, hoping Montparnasse would at least remember their plan. "Like you said, he didn’t believe me, so tell him I'm telling the truth ok?" 

He passed the phone to Gavroche, who picked it up abruptly. 

"Hey, Gavy-boy", Montparnasse said, and Grantaire mentally face-palmed.  

"Parnasse, what the hell?" Gavroche whispered, sounding betrayed. On the other line, he could hear the loud beat of the nightclub. "Where are you?" 

"At the Devil's Den", Montparnasse said. "Listen boy, you can trust whatever it is Grantaire's telling  you ok? He's on our side". 

Gavroche spared Grantaire an angry look and walked away from the man, not wanting him to hear the conversation. Grantaire looked around at the feral boys awkwardly, unsure of what to do. 

"On _our side_? Are you out of your fucking mind?" Gavroche said. "He would never betray Enjolras and you know that". 

"Enjolras is on our side, too", Montparnasse slurred. 

"You sound drunk. Are you fucking drunk?" 

"No, I'm fucking busy, that's what I am. Are you done throwing a tantrum or do I have to find someone else to help Grantaire? I thought I could trust you". 

Gavroche bit his lower lip, a mix of emotions filling him. 

"You can trust me, I just...", Gavroche took a deep breath. "You know he killed my sister. How am I supposed to help him after that?" 

Montparnasse was silent for a few seconds, only the sound of the music on the nightclub filling the call. 

"What's dead is dead, kid", he finally said. "I wouldn’t have sent him to you if it wasn’t for a good reason. Plus, he has something great to offer you". 

"So he was serious about the superpowers?", Gavroche asked, incredule. 

"Yeah. Now just give the man what he wants and he'll pay you, fine?" 

"Are you sure he'll pay? That's not what happened last time", Gavroche muttered. 

"He'll pay. I made sure of it", Montparnasse said. 

"How?" 

"I have one of his". 

" _What?_ " Gavroche nearly yelled. "Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?" 

"I just found- Look kid, I gotta go. Just do whatever the hell Grantaire says ok? We'll talk later, bye", Montparnasse said, and then he hung up. 

The hand holding the phone lingered beside Gavroche's ear a few seconds after Montparnasse hung up, as he processed the entirety of the call. He then abruptly walked back to where Grantaire was standing awkwardly, awaiting for his return. He handed him the phone back with a loud clack when the device connected with his open palm, and looked at him with scorn. 

"So?" Grantaire asked, putting the phone back on his pocket. 

Gavroche gestured to his boys with a nod, and they relaxed, putting their weapons away and sinking back into the shadows of the sewer until they disappeared completely from the view. It was as if they had never been there. 

"I'll help you", Gavroche finally said, though it sounded like it pained him to speak the words. "Just say whatever it is that you need". 

Grantaire let out a relieved sigh at this, even daring to smirk. 

"I need you to tell me everything you know about the Better Living Industries, and how to break someone out of there". 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments make me happy, and I'm always up to constructive criticism. You can find me on edema--ruh.tumblr.com


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